Synopsis

Africa's Sahel, which lies between the Sahara to the north and Africa's tropical rain forests to the south, is vulnerable to many ecological problems that exacerbate one another, including overpopulation, drought, desertification, soil erosion, deforestation, and poor irrigation. This Bio Bulletin highlights Mali's Lake Faguibine and the surrounding region. Once the breadbasket of the country, the lake region is now almost completely dry. The Mali government and international aid projects are struggling to raise funds to dig canals to divert river water to the lakes.